OPENINGCHORUS iver vatTohj

By Andrew Gilbert

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DENNY ZEITLIN OF SOLO PIANO, PSYCHOLOGY & BODY SNATCHERS

s if giant extraterrestrial pods exuding humanoid bodies weren't scary enough, a series of eerie pings and unset­tling tones tiun the scene into one of Hollywoods most terrifying moments. Widely credited as an essential ele­

ment of Philip Kaufman's classic 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchersy Denny Zeitlin's cutting-edge electronic score remains his sole celluloid foray, despite earning lavish praise from film and mu­sic critics. (Perseverance Records released it on CD in 2003.) He got other offers, but composing and producing Invasions music became such an all-consuming task that the pianist not only swore off future film work, he gave up a decade-long love affair with s>mthesizers and returned to his acoustic roots. "Tlie experience was so exliausting and demanding, and 1 was so pleased and proud of the result, that I told myself after Invasion I d never do tliat again," explains Zeitlin, 75. "It just ripped me away from everything else."

In the latest chapter of a five-decade cai'eer distinguished by fertile collaborations, inventive compositions, transporting improvisations and emiable keyboard prowess, Zeitlin has reldndled his passion for electronics, a v\dnding journey that led to 2013's sumptuous Both/And (Sumiyside). A series of extended, often-episodic compositions, the album documents his "Solo Electro-Acoustic Adventures," from the tempestuous opening track, "Meteorology' and tlie tender "Kathryn's Song," to the playful and funk-laden closing suite, Monk-y Business Re­visited, which explores the full orchestral palette at Zeitlihs fingertips. Unlike his early days as an electronic explorer, he has no plans to pres­ent the music in public. " I really have a rig now, with four keyboards at right angles to each other, a couple of computers plus the piano," Zeitlin explains from his home studio a tew miles south of San Rafael, Calif. "One program is so demanding it has its own computer. When everytliing works it's magic, but it crashes if you look at it fiinny. Uie

idea of ever tndng to take it out of the studio is out of the question, but I'm having a marvelous time in the studio,"

Zeitlin^ willingness to wrangle with new technologies is hardly a suiprise given liis track record and lifest)de. Tall and kmky, he could star in an advertising campaign for the salubrious effects of Northern Cali­fornia Irving. Looking a good decade younger than his age, he's an avid mountain biker who makes regular ascents of Marin County^ scenic Mount Tamalpais with his wife of five decades, the actress Josephine Zeitlin. A wine aficionado, he and drummer Matt Wilson take great pleasure in having turned bassist Buster Williams on to their vino obses­sion, transforming Zeitlin's stellar trio into a moveable tasting party

Whether by inclination or opportunity, Zeitlin has always gravi­tated toward intimate hornless sellings. His partnership with bassist David Friesen produced a series of exceptional duo recordings through the 1990s. He's largely recorded solo or with the prodigious Wilsom'Williams trio since then, but as his trio-mates are among the busiest in jazz he's taken to more solo piano of late. As Zeitlin explains, the format presents an opportunity "to somehow^ distill all m.y musical thoughts into that one instrument. It's a ti*emendous challenge to try to grow^ as a solo piano performer."

By any measure, Zeitlin's creative output over the past 50 years places him at jazz's creative zenith. What makes it all the more re­markable is tliat he's maintained a full and fulfilling parallel life as a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, one of the world's leading medical schools. He also main­tains a private practice, a gig he finds as stimulating as making mu­sic. Maybe that's part of Zeitlin's secret: Vvmen it comes to creativity he doesn't much distinguish between wnrk and play. "I'm still doing a lot of teaching," he says. "The teaching keeps the psychiatry fresh. I want to be up on new developirients, and it's very gratifying to help a trainee lift their skills."

The Chicago native seemed to emerge fully formed in the heady wake of Bill Evans' epochal Village \hnguard sessions of 1961. While Zeitlihs touch, melodic vision and rhythmic feel didn't evidence much of an Evans influence, Evans recognized Zeitlin as a kindred spirit, offering encouragement and making Zeitlins brooding bal­lad "Quiet Now" a fixture of his repertoire. He made his recording debut on Jeremy Steigs 1963 Columbia album FliRe Fever, a quartet session v/ith Ben Riley and Ben Tucker reissued for the first time on CD in December. (The reissue, by International Phonograph Inc., includes an alternate take of "What Is This Thing Called Love?" and a version of "Lover Man" restored to its original length.) Signed to Columbia by legendary producer John Hammond that same year,

Kecommended Listening: Mosaic Select: The Columbia Studio Trio Sessions (Mosaic, 2009)

Denny Zeitlin/Dovid Friesen Live at the Jazz Bakery (Intuition J 999)

Denny Zeitlin Trio In Co.nce.rfiSunnyside, 2009)

Both/And: Solo Electro-Acoustic Adventures (Sunnyside, 2013)

28 JAZZTIMES JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2 0 ] 4

Zeitlin recorded a series of extraordinary trio albums for the label that immediately established him as a creative force. But the scope of his early achievement was obscured for many years when the al­bums fell out of print, a situation finally rectified with 2009 s Mosaic Select: TTie Columbia Studio Trio Sessions. From his debut as a leader, 1964 s CathexiSy he demonstrated astounding technical abilities and a highly personal third-stream vision combining classical influ­ences (particularly Bartok and Stravinsky) and advanced concepts from George Russell. Most impressive is that Zeitlins encounter with bassist Cecil McBee and drummer Freddie Waits "was the only time we played together," the pianist recalls. "A number of things were relatively new, and they just inhabited the . music. They instantly got into my concept, and the chemistry was so terrific."

After finishing medical school at Johns Hopkins, where he spent his free time sit­ting in with Gary Bartz, Billy Hart and Gra-chan Moncur I I I at Baltirnoi es Nordi End Lounge, Zeitlin moved to the Bay Area to do an internship at San Francisco General Hospital in 1964 and promptly started look­ing around for people to play with. Familiar with Charlie Haden from his epochal work with Ornette Coleman, he heard the bassist was at the controversial addiction treatment program Synanoii in Oakland and called him up. "He had heard my first couple of recordings and wanted to play' Zeitlin says. "We started looking around for a drummer and found Jerry Granelli, who had a whole special groove. We played at the Trident on Monday nights for a number of years, a beautiful jazz club in Sausalito looking out at the Bay'

He documented the exceptional work­ing band on 1964's Carnival, 1965's Live at the Trident (not included in the Mosaic box) and 1967 s Zeitgeist (which also in­troduced his new, short-lived union with bassist Joe Halpin and drummer Oliver Johnson). With Haden heading back to New York and Granelli deeply involved in the pioneering multimedia psychedelia of the Light Sound Dimension (LSD, get it?), Zeitlin recruited two excellent young players eager to explore the new freedom. Wliile Zeitlin was becoming intrigued with tlie electronic music experiments taking place at the San Francisco Tape Music Center, he continued to open his mu­sic up rhythmically a volatility captured on the early '70s album Expansion with bassist Mel Graves and drummer George Marsh. Marsh had moved to California from Cliicago with tlie aim of playing with Zeitlin, drawn to his music because "it had elements of swing and free improvisation, odd time signatures, regular forms and newer ones. 1 sensed a great possibility for experimenting," Marsh says. " I had already played with great pianists in Chicago, but

Denny was a brilliant player and I w as kind of in awe at the time." A longtime professor at Sonoma State University^ and a current

member of the David Grisman Quintet, Mai sh is once again play­ing a key role in Zeitlins musical investigations. He often joins his North Bay neighbor at his home studio, where they are developing extended forms often based on hypnotic figures. Like on Both/And, Zeitlin is creating sweepingly orchestral music but witliin an impro-visational framework tliat's designed for "listening and responding in a very deep way?' Marsh says. "He'll call and say *Do ymu wajit to come out and play?' We'll spend a full day in there, and we dont know where we'll end up." JT

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